New battery for residential and commercial storage from Germany

From pv magazine Germany

German storage system provider Fenecon has unveiled a storage system for residential and commercial applications equipped with a self-learning energy management system that takes into account power consumption and weather forecasts.

The system is claimed to be able to keep battery capacity free for midday on sunny days, in order to prevent curtailment and, thus, loss of power yield. For this purpose, energy is automatically distributed in advance to charging stations for electric vehicles, heat pumps or other controllable systems. Customers of time-variable electricity tariffs should also be able to use the control system in a targeted manner. In addition, the control is said to prevent solar power from being fed into the grid at peak times.

According to the manufacturer, customers are also allowed to use its OpenEMS platform to access a large number of other energy services and applications – such as community or flat-rate offers for green electricity if their own solar electricity does not cover their needs, at times.

The modular battery package has a size of 506x365mm and a storage capacity of 8.8 kWh to 22 kWh. The high-voltage batteries, the battery management module, and the intelligent control box can be plugged together. With a total height of only 1,710mm in the highest allowable design with ten battery modules, there is still space for the wall-mounting of the inverter – which weighs 24kg – even in low-basement rooms. A total of three such towers can be connected to one another in order to increase the capacity to up to 66 kWh. 

In addition to the energy management system, the new product contains DC surge protection for the photovoltaic strings; internet access; all battery outputs; and the communication interface to the inverter, additional battery towers, heat pumps, or charging stations.

According to Fenecon, all connections are pluggable and suitable for outdoor use. This means that neither the box for the battery management system (BMS) nor the box for the self-learning energy management system, have to be opened for installation. 

The company also claims that the installation and commissioning of the system usually takes less than an hour. The three-phase inverter, developed in collaboration with an unnamed partner, has a photovoltaic connection for up to 13 kW and an output of 10 kW. The hybrid unit combines solar and battery inverters in one device.

Fenecon states the battery is suitable for all new photovoltaic systems and the retrofitting of existing systems. A combination of DC and AC-coupled connections is also possible. In the event of a power failure, the integrated power disconnection allows uninterrupted and powerful emergency power operation, with solar recharging.

“A storage system for the energy transition must intelligently integrate photovoltaic systems, wall boxes, heat pumps and electricity tariffs into a central management system – and optimize self-consumption,” said Ludwig Asen, head of product management at Fenecon, describing the idea behind the storage solution.